Libertyville’s Will Buchert tried to downplay the significance of the occasion.
Even teammate Jack Huber attempted to avoid talking too much about his big plays Wednesday night.
But Buchert and Huber — junior guards who watched their older sisters play vital roles for the Wildcats — finally had their memorable moment in a Class 4A Barrington Sectional semifinal against Stevenson.
Buchert made three free throws in the final nine seconds after Huber hit a go-ahead 3-pointer and blocked a shot to lead second-seeded Libertyville to a 45-41 win over the third-seeded Patriots.
Libertyville (27-7) advanced to the sectional championship game against top-seeded Barrington (26-4) at 7 p.m. Friday with its third win against the Patriots (20-9) this season.
“I’m glad we moved on — another tough one to keep the season going,” Libertyville senior forward John Graham said.
Graham had the assist on Huber’s critical shot. The 6-foot-2 Huber, who scored a team-high 14 points with four 3-pointers, connected on a 24-footer from directly in front of his bench with 35.7 seconds remaining to give the Wildcats a 42-41 lead.
“I saw two screens come, so I came off it hard,” Huber said. “I was kind of open, so I had confidence and just let it fly.”
Huber came right back with the key defensive play of the game, blocking a shot with 16 seconds left. He said he got “beat off the dribble” but managed to recover in time.
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Buchert, who finished with 12 points, iced the game at the line, including two free throws with nine seconds left to extend the lead to 44-41. Graham made a steal with two seconds remaining, and Buchert hit another free throw with 0.3 left. The Wildcats scored the final six points after trailing 41-39.
“I focused all summer on free throws,” Buchert said. “I was tired at the end, but I knew I had to get it done.”
Buchert said he was in the stands when his older sister, Margaret, hit a running 3-point hook shot at the buzzer — with her nondominant hand — to beat Lake Forest in January 2020. She’s a freshman guard at DePauw.
“I don’t think I topped my sister,” Buchert said. “Her left-handed hook shot was better. … I’ve heard all about my sister being way better than me, so it’s awesome to get my own moment. Her team never made it past the sectional semifinals, so we beat them in that.”
Huber’s sister Lauren, a freshman guard at Holy Cross, was a standout for three-plus seasons for Libertyville.
“This win just makes me happy, even hearing my sister’s name mentioned with me,” Huber said. “She was a special player.”
Libertyville coach Brian Zyrkowski said the pivotal 3-pointer was all set up for Huber.
“We had a play that we run a lot for (Huber),” he said. “We know Stevenson knows a lot of our stuff, so we gave Jack a second option. He used that second option. That was a big shot.”
Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose agreed.
“The 3-pointer was a backbreaker,” he said. “It was a tough shot. You have to give him credit.”
Stevenson led 13-2 in the first quarter before Libertyville marched back. Junior forward Aidyn Boone, who had his best game of the season with 10 points and nine rebounds, helped the Wildcats rally.
“Boone was super aggressive tonight and gave us extra opportunities on getting rebounds off missed shots,” Zyrkowski said.
Junior forward Josh Thomas scored 13 points for the Patriots, and senior guard Evan Porto added 10 points.
“We had some kids develop that will come back, so there’s promise for the future,” Ambrose said.
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.